MACR:3369

03/03/1944 - A/C: 41-28677

"The other plane that dropped out of formation,"Ten Hits and a Miss", piloted by Lt Henry Rutters, hit by flak over the target, was downed by German FW 190 Fighters a few minutes later. Both inboard engines afire, it lost altitude rapidly as it headed toward the Tyrrhenian Sea coastline in a relatively well controlled descent. The crew members bailed out and the burning aircraft crashed into the water and ultimately sank quite close to shore. Parachutes came down on land and water and survival chances for the members of the crew seemed pretty good at that time". Whatever happened next is not revealed in the U S AAF records but the "Coffee Tower" book has a footnote on the same page, "MACR 3369 provides no information on the fate of Rutters and his crew. Much later we have learned that the only survivor among Rutter`s crew was Tail Gunner Sgt John Harrigan. Injured and taken prisoner, Harrigan was given no details about the rest of his crew members, only that they died at the time of the crash".

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